Improvement in car-couplings



J. BRINKERHOFF, G. B. BENNETT & LaF. sELnER.

' CAR-COUPLING- No.170,226. Patented Nv.zs,1a75.

UNITEB -STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB BBINKEBHOEF, GEORGE B. BENNETT, AND LA EAYETTE sELDEB, OE

DUBUQUE, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN cAR-CouPLlNes.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 170,226. dated November 23, 1875 application filed June 24, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JACOB BEINKERHOEE, GEORGE B. BENNETT, and LA FAYETTE SEL- DER, all of the city and county of Dubuque .and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car- Couplings; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings, making part of this specification.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of our invention. Fig. 2 is an end view, and Fig. 3 is a detail view.

This invention relates to car-couplin gs, having for its object to improve the construction of the same, making the same simple in construction, efficient and convenient in use, and not liable to get out of repair; and it consists in the construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out by the claim.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe it. t

A A' represent two draw-bars constructed just alike. B B are the coupling hooks or dogs. These are rounded or curved on the face toward the point of the hook part. The inner line of the hook part makes a slightly` acute angle with the under line of the arm part. The loose link Gis attached near the center ot' the hook, and so as to permit free motion thereof, and sunk so as to present no projection on the side along which the other onemoves and lies. At the end fastened at the inner part of the opening is a lug or projection, and forming part ofthe hook through which the pin or bolt passes, sufficient to fill the space, and for the purpose of holding the hook to 011e side, and to give greater strength by the bearing and strain being on the greater length of the pin or bolt. Above the perforation in the end of the bumper on the inner side the draw-bar is made thicker, for the purpose of giving additional strength. Across the lower part of the opening in the draw-bar is extended arod, for the purposeoil holding in place the vlower end of the pin used when thebumper.

the car is coupled withA a link in the ordinary way with a car to which this invention is not applied. This pin is held in place at the top by a catch or claw on the top, fitting a slot in F F' represent the horizontal rod, with the lever-handles G G', weighted at the free ends thereof, for the purpose of holding, by their weight, the 'coupling-hooks upright when the -car is brought violently in contact or collision with another to which it is not desired to couple.

the coupling-hooks, for the purpose of-raising and dropping the same, as required. The curving or rounding4 of the face of the hook toward the point is for the purpose of enabling the coupling to be effected by the cars comin g in contact with the hooks thrown down,

thus rendering it a self-coupler, if desired.

From the above description it will be seen that when the hooks are thrown down before the cars are brought together, self-couplin g is effected bythe hooks striking the bumpers on their curved faces, glancing upward,and dropping into their designed places; and that the coupling may be effected without goin gbetween the cars or bumpers by dropping the hooks by means of the lever-handles G G' as or after the cars come together, thus effecting this object whether the cars are. in motion or at rest, and that by means ot' said lever-handles the uncoupling may in like manner be effected.

Having thus -fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The lever -handles G G', horizontal rods F F', and the arms H H', constructed rigidly, and the levers extending to each side of the car, in combination with the loose link C, bars A A', and hooks B B', constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

J. BRINKERHOFF. GEORGE B. BENNETT. LA FAYETTE SELDER. Witnesses:

M. H. BEACH,

LOUIS G. HUED.

H H' represent the arms passing through the clevis attached to y 

